SAAB 9-3 2005 Service Manual
Manufacturer: SAAB, Model Year: 2005, Model line: 9-3, Model: SAAB 9-3 2005Pages: 292, PDF Size: 23 MB
Page 41 of 292

39 Safety
Frequently asked questions on
function of the airbagDo you still need to wear a safety belt if air-
bags are fitted?Yes, always! The airbag system compo-
nents merely supplement the car’s normal
safety system. Moreover, the front airbags
will only be actuated in a moderate to severe
frontal, or near-frontal crash, which means,
of course, that they provide no protection in
minor frontal crashes, major rear- or side-
crashes or if the car rolls over.
The safety belts help to reduce the sideway
movement of the body in a crash.
But they also ensure that, if a crash occurs
in which the airbags are inflated, the airbag
will make the optimum contact with the
occupant, i.e. square on from the front. If the
occupant meets the airbag in an offset posi-
tion, the protection afforded will be reduced.In addition, airbags provide no protection
against a secondary impact occurring in the
same incident. So there is no doubt about
the benefit of wearing safety belts at all
times.
Do not sit too close to the airbag: it needs
room to inflate.
The airbag inflates very quickly and power-
fully in order to protect an adult, before they
are thrown forward, in a serious frontal
crash.
How do I position the seat to leave room for
the airbag to inflate?Don’t have your seat too far forward.
Recline the seat back to increase the dis-
tance between you and the airbag. For short
drivers, special accessory pedal extensions
are available through your Saab dealer.
Airbags inflate extremely rapidly and with
great force – to be fast enough to protect an
adult in the seat.
When do the airbags in the steering wheel
and passenger side of the dash board
inflate? The airbag will only be inflated under certain
predetermined conditions in a moderate to
severe frontal, or near-frontal crash,
depending on such factors as the force and
angle of the impact, the speed of the car on
impact, and the resistance to deformation of
the impacting object.
The airbag can only be activated once in the
same incident.
Do not attempt to drive the car after an
airbag has been inflated, even if it is possi-
ble.What won’t trigger the airbag? The airbag will not be activated in all frontal
crashes. For instance, if the car has hit
something relatively soft and yielding (e.g. a
snow drift or a hedge) or a solid object at a
low impact speed, the airbag will not neces-
sarily be triggered.
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Page 42 of 292

40 SafetyHow loud is the inflation? The noise of the inflation is certainly loud,
but it is of an very short duration and will not
damage your hearing. For a short time after-
wards you could experience a buzzing
noise in your ears.
Most people who have experienced it
cannot remember the noise of the inflation
at all – all they remember is the noise of the
crash. Can you still use a child seat in the front if a
passenger airbag is installed? Definitely not!
Children 12 and under or shorter than
55 inches (140 cm) can be killed by the air-
bag.
The back seat is the safest place for chil-
dren.
Never put a rear-facing child seat in the
front.
Sit as far back as possible from the airbag.
Always use seat belts and child restraints.
What should I do if the AIR-BAG warning
light comes on? If the warning light is on, it means that a fault
has been detected in the system. The
airbag cannot be relied on to operate as
intended and it might even be activated
erroneously. You should therefore take the
car to an authorized Saab dealer as soon as
possible.
Are the dust and fumes given off when the
airbag operates at all harmful? Most people who have remained in a car
with little or no ventilation for several min-
utes complained only of minor irritation of
the throat and eyes. Avoid as much as pos-
sible getting dust on your skin as there is a
risk of skin irritation.
If you suffer from asthma, the incident may
bring on an attack, in which case you should
follow the normal procedure advised by
your doctor. It is advisable to consult a
doctor afterwards.
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Page 43 of 292

41 Security
Doors ________________ 42
Central locking ________ 42
Car alarm _____________ 50
Security
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Page 44 of 292

42 SecurityDoorsOpen the door by lifting the door handle.
The following message appears on the
Saab Information Display (SID) if a door is
not closed (text displayed first when vehicle
speed exceeds 15 mph (25 km/h) and the
door has still not been closed):
Central lockingRemote controlThe remote control and ignition key are inte-
grated in one unit, and referred to in this
manual as the remote control.
The remote control contains a mechanical
key, referred to in this manual as the tradi-
tional key. This traditional key can be used
in an emergency to lock or unlock the
driver’s door from outside (see page 44).
This key does not fit the ignition switch.A key code number is supplied with your
car. This number needs to be quoted for
ordering a new traditional key (contained in
the remote control). Therefore, keep this
number in a safe place.
The remote control contains an electronic
code that is unique to your car. When the
remote control is inserted into the ignition
switch, this code is checked. If the code is
incorrect, the car will not start.
The car is supplied with two remote con-
trols. It is possible to have up to five remote
controls programmed for the car at any one
time. If one is lost, a replacement should be
obtained as soon as possible. Contact your
Saab dealer. When a new key is pro-
grammed into the car, the lost key will be
deprogrammed automatically.
Note:
If a new remote control has to be ordered
and programmed, at least one old one is
required for the locking system’s electronic
unit to recognize the new (ordered) remote
control.
Once the new remote control has been pro-
grammed, the old unit that is lost will not
work. Therefore you should carry two
remote controls separately, especially on
long journeys. Close doors.
WARNING
Leaving children or pets unattended in a
locked car is dangerous. It is also danger-
ous to leave children in a vehicle with the
ignition key. A child or others could be
badly injured or even killed.
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Page 45 of 292

43 Security
Remote control functions
*) parking lights, side direction indicators,
taillights and license plate lighting.
NOTICEThe remote control contains delicate
electronics.
Do not expose it to water.
Avoid rough handling.
Do not place the remote control where
it may be subjected to high tempera-
tures, e.g. on the instrument panel.
Warm the remote control in your
hands for a couple of minutes if it has
become very cold to prevent malfunc-
tion.
For details on changing the battery,
refer to page 48.
Button Pressed once Pressed
twiceHold and
press the
button more
than 2 s
Locks all doors
and trunk lid.
Convertible: also
fuel filler door.
Unlocks driver´s
door.
Convertible: also
fuel filler door.The other
doors are
unlocked
and the trunk
lid switch is
enabled.Comfort
opening, see
page 123.
Unlocks and
slightly opens
trunk lid.
Checks number
of remote con-
trols, see
page 47.
Turns on exterior
and cabin lighting
*) (for 30 s) or
turns off lighting
and deactivates
panic alarm.Panic alarm
(activates
alarm manu-
ally), see
page 52.
Remote control1 Locks car
2 Unlocks car and turns on cabin lighting
3 Unlocks and opens trunk lid.
4 Turns on exterior and cabin lighting.
Activates panic function
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Page 46 of 292

44 SecurityLocking/unlocking the carRemote locking and unlocking also control
the car alarm.
Remote locking
Press the button once: all doors and
the trunk lid locked (Convertible: also fuel
filler door).
The hazard warning lights will flash once to
confirm.Remote unlocking
Pressing the button once: the driver´s
door is unlocked (Convertible: also fuel filler
door). Press a second time to unlock the
rest of the doors and enable the trunk lid
switch.
The hazard warning lights will flash twice to
confirm.
If a fault arises in the locking system, the
Saab Information Display (SID) will display:
Saab Information Display (SID), see
page 87.
Intermittent malfunctioning
Equipment in the vicinity of the car that uses
the same frequency as the remote control
may cause interference to the remote con-
trol signal. In this case, retry from another
angle and aim at the receiver located by the
steering wheel.If remote unlocking should fail to work
1 Remove the traditional key from the
remote control by pressing the emblem
on the reverse of the remote control.
(This key only fits the front left-hand
door.)
2 Carefully remove the cover plate from
the keyhole in the door.
3 Unlock the door with the key.
The car alarm will be tripped. To silence the
alarm, insert the remote control into the igni-
tion switch.
WARNING
Leaving children or pets unattended in a
locked car is dangerous. It is also danger-
ous to leave children in a vehicle with the
ignition key. A child or others could be
badly injured or even killed.
Never lock anyone in the car.
Lock system failure.
Contact Saab dealer.
Locking/unlocking the front left-hand door
with the traditional key1 Lock
2 Unlock
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Page 47 of 292

45 Security
Locking a car with dead batteryThe steering wheel lock requires sufficient
battery voltage to lock and unlock. If the bat-
tery voltage drops below a certain level
while the remote control is in the ignition
switch, you will not be able to remove the
remote control.
If you must leave the car, proceed as
follows:
1 Lock the car by pressing down the lock
buttons on the doors.
2 Lock the front left door from outside with
the traditional key (see page 44). The
car is now locked but the car alarm will
remain inactive.
Trunk lidOpening
The trunk lid is unlocked and slightly opened
when the button on the remote control
or on the inside of the driver’s door is
pressed once.
The hazard warning lights will flash three
times to confirm.
Closing
The trunk lid is locked when closed.
If the doors are locked when the trunk lid is
closed it is armed and the movement sensor
in the cabin will be armed.
Opening button on driver’s door
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Page 48 of 292

46 SecuritySwitches on front doorsThe central locking can also be operated
from inside the car using the button by each
front door handle.
Locking the car with the remote control
renders these buttons inoperative.
If you are sitting in the car and press the
button on the driver’s door, this will unlock
the driver’s door. Press the button a
second time to unlock the remaining
doors and the trunk lid. The button on the
passenger door works in the same way
except that this first unlocks the passen-
ger door. During this operation the rear
doors remain locked.
If the car is left with one or more doors open,
the interior lighting will be switched off auto-
matically after 20 minutes. This is to prevent the battery from running flat. Also, if the car
has electrically adjustable seats, these will
cease to operate.
Child safety locksThe rear doors are equipped with child
safety locks that are activated by means of
a catch next to the door latch.
Insert a screwdriver or the traditional key
(enclosed in the remote control) and turn it
45° in the direction shown on the label on
the door.
When the child safety lock is in the locked
position, the door can only be opened from
outside the car.
WARNING
If small children are carried in the rear
seat, the safety locks on the rear doors
should be activated to prevent uninten-
tional opening from the inside.
Child safety locks
Central locking switch
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Page 49 of 292

47 Security
Trunk Release HandleThere is a glow-in-the-dark trunk release
handle located inside the trunk on the latch.
This handle will glow following exposure to
light. Pull the release handle down to open
the trunk from inside.
Reprogramming lock system
functionsCertain lock system functions can be
reprogrammed at a Saab dealer (see
page 280).Checking the number of remote
controlsTo check the number of remote controls that
are programmed for the car:
1 Insert the remote control into the ignition
switch and turn it to ON.
2 Press and hold the button for more
than 2 seconds within 30 seconds after
the ignition switch has been turned to
the ON position.
3 The Saab Information Display (SID) will
now display the number of remote
controls that are programmed for your
car, and which of these (1–5) is in the
ignition switch.
Example of SID message:
NOTICEThe trunk release handle was not
designed to be used to tie down the trunk
lid or as an anchor point when securing
items in the trunk. Improper use of the
trunk release could damage it
2: standard key
Key No: 1
Trunk Release Handle
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Page 50 of 292

48 SecurityChanging the key batteryWhen the voltage of the remote control bat-
tery drops below a certain level, the Saab
Information Display (SID) will display:
Change the battery as soon as possible to
avoid malfunctioning.Battery type: For optimum performance in
all temperatures and good service life, Saab
recommends the use of a Sony or Pana-
sonic CR2032, 3V lithium battery.
The battery should last for about 4 years of
normal use.
The battery type is marked on the inside of
the remote control. Avoid leaving finger-
prints on the faces of the battery.
1 Press the emblem on the reverse of the
remote control to remove the traditional
key.
2 Insert the tip of the key into the small slot
and turn the key to split the remote
control.
WARNING
Keep the battery and other small compo-
nents of the remote control out of reach of
children.NOTICEThe electronics of the remote control are
sensitive to electrostatic discharge. Incor-
rect handling when changing the battery
can damage the remote control. Avoid
touching electronic components of the
remote control with your hands.
Remote control battery
low. Replace battery.
Press the emblem to remove
the traditional key
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